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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rest — a break
  4. rest — what's left
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. fine — high quality
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mug — a face
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. file — a tool
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mug — a cup
  20. rash — hasty
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bear — the animal
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com